Page 108 of End Game

Dex beams. “Excellent.”

Ronan shakes his head, but he is trying not to smile.

“Seriously,” he says. “Nobody in this house ever has to justify stopping a scene in the moment. We can talk about it in the moment and afterward. We can decide whether anything needs to change before we try again. But in the moment, if someone says, ‘red,’ we stop.”

Everyone nods or verbalizes agreement.

“Then I think we’re where we need to be,” I say.

Ronan reaches for the notebook again.

Dex groans. “Meeting adjourned.”

Cami laughs.

Griffin stands. “I’m with Dex.”

“See?” Dex points after him. “Metamour solidarity.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“Never.”

And somehow that’s how we end yet another complicated relationship conversation…

With Dex chasing Griffin toward the kitchen while repeatedly calling him his metamour just to piss him off, Cami laughing hard enough she has to wipe tears from her face, and Ronan muttering that none of us take anything seriously.

I look at him. “We took the important parts seriously.”

His expression softens.

“Yeah,” he agrees. “We did.”

Chapter fourteen

Primary Objective

Dex

After Ronan’s relationship summit—or family meeting or whatever the fuck we’re calling it—I have approximately nine thousand thoughts fighting for dominance in my head. Apparently my brain rolled initiative without consulting me.

Most of them involve Micah.

He has to work tonight, so I follow him into his room while he gets ready and pretend I’m not waiting for the right moment to talk to him about something that’s been eating at me since the little summit.

Apparently, there isn’t a right moment.

“So, uh… apparently I’m your primary partner.”

Micah looks over at me, a slight twitch to his mouth. “Apparently?”

“I just… I just didn’t know we were doing that… that you were saying that.”

“Are you not okay with it?” His attention suddenly and completely on me.

“That’s not what I’m saying. But most of that was you and Ronan giving us a TED talk while Griffin looked like he wanted laminated handouts, and I just wanted to make sure it’s what you want.”

He gives me a look like I’m being ridiculous, while he digs in a hamper for a hoodie.